Turns Out, There’s a Tree That Can 'Walk' Around the Forest Whenever It Needs More Sunlight

For a long time, trees were believed to be stationary beings growing and surviving for years in the same place they were planted, unless someone deliberately uproots and shifts them elsewhere. But as opposed to this belief, in the forests of Central and South America, there are walking trees that move through the forests, chasing sunlight, according to a report by BBC Discover Wildlife. Called tropical American palm or “Socratea exorrhiza,” the tree tiptoes through the forest, walking on its stilts, like those long-legged puppets in carnivals.

A tree that walks

Socratea exorrhiza can grow up to 25 meters in height with a stem diameter of up to 16 centimeters, with full or partial Sun and moist soil, per PalmPedia. Pollinators like beetles help the tree spread its seedlings through the forests so the tree can reproduce and germinate. The most noteworthy feature, however, of this tree is its roots. A cluster of stilts acts like its legs, which it uses to walk and relocate each time it wants to have a better habitat.

Unlike most trees, which have their roots underground, this tree’s roots are sculpted like clusters of stilts that walk out from under the fallen limbs, moving up to 3 centimeters per day. The dramatic episode occurs each time the tree decides to leave behind its old roots, letting them die, and grow new roots, explains Nature & Culture International (NCI).

Dramatic roots

As they mature, the roots of this palm become harder and change their colors from shades of rufous to chocolate brown, and eventually gray. Once they relocate and reach the new spot, the tree straightens itself up, once again freezing on the spot to make it look like a deceptive trick to the onlookers. It is not the “shyness of the crown” that prompts the tree to isolate itself from the rest of the trees. The tree is not shy. But rather, quite intelligent. As climate change intimidates naturescapes, jeopardizing their health and beauty, this tree knows how to survive and thrive. The myth about this “walking tree” was first documented in the 1980s by anthropologists John H. Bodley and Foley C. Benson in a paper published by the journal Biotropica.

Seeking the light

NCI related an interview between the Italian illustrator and writer Elisa Paganelli and Gerardo Avalos, a tropical ecologist and palm expert. Talking about the walking palm, Avalos said it is “fixed to its place of germination, although, like other rainforest plants, it can still stretch itself somewhat to seek the light.” He confessed that it’s kind of “impressive and amazing to believe” that it can actually walk. “It’s just a legend.”

However, “a large cone of stilt roots takes a long time to develop. Changes in canopy light conditions are more dynamic, with holes in the canopy being open at the same time that others are closed.” But the tree cannot move fast enough to seek out light. To believe that it could, would be too unrealistic, argued Avalos.

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